Improvement in water-wheels



E. B. BROOKS. WATER WHEEL. No. 44,509. Patented Oct. 4, 1864.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

E. B. BROOKS, OF MICHIGAN CITY, INDIANA.

IMPROVEMENT m wmsawusus.

Specilicatimi forming part of Letters Patent No. 41,509, dated October 4. lsltl.

:l'h aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. B. BROOKS, of Michiga'i City, in the county of La Porte and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved \Vater-\Vhe2l; and I do hereby de clare that the following is a full. clear, and en ct description of the same, reference being ii L to the t-iccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical central section of my invention, taken in the line Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to a new and improved horizontal water wheel and it consists in the employment or use of a dome and a series of gates arranged in such a manner that the water will be properly directed to the buckets of the wheel and a large per centage of the power of the water obtaim.-d.:

The invention also-consists in a novel manner of conn'ecti-ng'the dome to the annular plate of the framing of the wheel, as hereinafter fully shown and described,whereby said connection is not only obtained, but also the pintles of the gate-hinges.

The invention further consists in the comlTn-ation. of the buckets with the gates and chutes, all arranged, as hereinafter described, to cause he water to act in a favorable man ner upon or against thebuckets.

To enable those skilled in the artto fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it. 1

A represents the wheel, which is composed of a circular band or rim. (1, connected by-arms to aliu' c, which is firmly keyed on a vertical shaft, '13.. On the exterior of this rim a "he bucket d of the wheel are secured. The ouckctsha e their bottoms e of curycd form, their concave surfaces being uppermost and inclined. The rims-c form the inner sides of the buckets, and the outer sides, a, are vertical and parallel with the rim a. The bottoms e are not of equal width. They gradually widen from their upper to their lower ends. The buckets slightly lap into each other, the inner end of one bucket fitting a short distance into the mouth of the one directly behindit. as will be fully understood by referring to-Fig. 1, in which the position of the buckets is indicated by the dotted lines.

C re )resents a l'ramin on which a horizon D tal annular plate, 1), is firmly secured. The

inner edge of this plate is about on a level with the upper edge of the rim (1, and a space, is allowed between the inner edge of the plate I) and the time, said space being equal in width to the back and narrowest parts of the buckets. The front part therefore of the outer sides, a, ot'thc'buckcts are considerably beyond the inner edge of the plate I), as shown in Fig. l.

E is a dome of semi spherical form, which is placed directly over the rim 1!, the upper edge of the latter being directly under the lower edge of the former, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. This dome is .held in position by'a series of horizontal bolts, 9. the outer ends'of which are attached to the plate D, and the inner ends secured to the dome, said bolts extending across the space. f,betwcen the plate D and the (Tome E, and forming the pintles of the hinges of a series of gates, 1*. These gates are curved longitudinally, corresponding to the curvature of the lower end of the dome 1* and they gradually increase in width from their back or hinged ends to their front ends, as shown clearly in figures. Each gate F is connected at its front end by a rod, (l, with a plate, H, which is fitted looselyon the wheelshaft B above'the dome E. By raising and lowering this plate ll the gates F may be simultaneously opened and closed.

I represents a series of plates which are attached vertically to the annular plate I) atihc Outer edges of the gates F. These plates I have their upper edges inclined corresponding to the inclination of the gates 1* when raised or opened to their fullest extent. The plates I, in connection with the gates Fand the dome E, fl)rm chutes to direct the water properly to the buckets. The water first actsupon or against the buckets by impact, and in descend- .ing down through the buckets a reacting force is obtained, and when the water leaves the buckets all its effective power is obtainedthat is to say, as great a percentage of it as it is possible to obtain. The gradually-increasin passing through the buckets has its m0- mentnm fully transferred to them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The dome E, in combination with the wheel A, horizontal annular plate D, gates F, and plates I, all arranged substantially as herein set forth.

2. The connecting of the dome E to the annular plate D by means of the bolts 9, arranged as shown, so as to serve as pintles for the hinges of the gates F, as described.

3; The gjJalually-enlarged buckets (I, from their inner to their outer ends, with concave inclined bottoms e, in combination with the chutes composed of the gates F, plates I, and dome E, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

E. B. BROOKS.

' 'Witnesses:

W. PECK, J. A. THORNTON. 

